Does it really pay to spray? Dmitry Syshchikov/Shutterstock Lizzy Lowe, Macquarie University; Cameron Webb, University of Sydney; Manu Saunders, University of New England, and Tanya Latty, University of Sydney Insects are important wildlife often overlooked in urban habitats. What we do notice are the cockroaches, ants and mosquitoes in and around our homes. All too […]

How do you feel about insects and spiders in your house and garden? With summer just around the corner you may start noticing more insects and spiders around your house and garden. Everybody feels differently about these creepy crawly house guests; they may not bother you or you might hate the sight of them! I […]

On the 2nd of October I ran a “Conservation Conversation” event at Macquarie University focused on discussing invertebrate conservation in Australia. The idea arose after talking with a group of my lovely friends and colleagues late last year about the fact that we all work with invertebrates, and are passionate about saving them, but few […]

If you live in Sydney and want to find out what insects and spiders are living in your garden, you could be included in my next study! If you are interested in being involved with future research please fill in this quick form.

Lacewings are fantastic predators and are easy to rear and release. Dan Papacek & Tony Meredith (Bugs for Bugs), Author provided Lizzy Lowe, Macquarie University and Manu Saunders, University of New England Insect pests cause a huge amount of damage to crops globally. In Australia alone, pests are responsible for around A$360 million of crop […]

play4smee/Flickr, CC BY-NC Lizzy Lowe, Macquarie University; Cameron Webb, University of Sydney, and Kate Umbers, Western Sydney University The weather is getting warmer, and gardens are coming alive with bees, flies, butterflies, dragonflies, praying mantises, beetles, millipedes, centipedes, and spiders. For some of us it is exciting to see these strange and wonderful creatures return. […]

Spiders are a traditional part of a Halloween scare and for some people they have been a source of fear for years. But in reality, spiders deserve to instil a sense of amazement, not fear. Spiders have amazing survival strategies, beautiful colour displays, complex social interactions, and play important roles in our ecosystems. Here are […]

I few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to present at the Australian Falling Walls Lab at the Shine Dome in Canberra. The Falling Walls Labs began in Germany, with the idea that, like the Berlin Wall, there are challenges in our societies that we need to break down. It is basically an opportunity for […]

I’m so excited that native verges are gaining popularity in Perth. It’s such a perfect example of how unused spaces within urban areas can be used to increase biodiversity of the local area, and they look fantastic! My local council (the City of Stirling) recently had a plant giveaway for any residents wanting to convert […]

After my recent curation of the @realscientists twitter account, I was contacted by Rachael Lehr who runs a Girls STEM club at West Beechboro Primary School. She asked me if I would be interested in coming along to their after school club to talk to the girls about being a scientist. These kind of initiatives encompass so […]